13 Pistachio Dessert Recipes That Our Fans Are Nuts About (2024)

Pistachio Lime Spirals

You’re probably familiar with seeing pinwheel cookies dressed up for the holidays with red or green food coloring, or perhaps chocolate or peppermint flavor, as part of Christmas cookie trays. We took that concept and gave it a sweet, tart, and earthy twist in this pistachio dessert recipe. For the bright green ribbon, pulse pistachios in a food processor until they almost become a nut butter consistency. Add green color if you like, then up the ante by rolling the edges of the slice-and-bake cookies in chopped pistachios.

Pistachio-Honey Cake with Berries and Cream

Think of this pistachio dessert like honey cornbread with a nutty, dessert-inspired makeover. Cornmeal, flour, and ground pistachios set the foundation for the cake batter, then honey and eggs join the party. “I've made this twice already and plan to make it for many more special occasions! It's moist and has a wonderfully nutty flavor and texture,” says one BHG reader of this pistachio and honey dessert. “The mascarpone topping is perfectly sweet, and the berries add a nice freshness.” Cap things off with chopped pistachios to hint at the flavors inside.

No-Bake Cran Pistachio Balls

Chocolate truffles meet no-bake energy bites in this sweet and salty pistachio dessert. Sneak in some wholesomeness, fiber, and nutrition in the filling by way of oats, peanut butter, dried cranberries, and chopped pistachios. Round out that filling with butter, roll into balls, and a dunk in melted white chocolate to shift this firmly into no-bake dessert territory.

Test Kitchen Tip: To extend the life of these pistachio bites—or to have dessert at a moment's notice—store them in the freezer for up to 3 months.

Pistachio Sugar Cookie Bars

Calling all who are nuts about blondies! This easy bar cookie concept is made in the same low-fuss, big-batch way, just with a unique featured flavor. Save the chocolate chips or sprinkles for another day; this sugar cookie remix is scented with mildly-sweet pistachios. With 1 cup of nuts in the cookie dough and another handful on top, there will be no question about the fact that this is a pistachio dessert recipe.

Pistachio-Cranberry Baklava

Perhaps you’ve tried classic baklava, with flaky phyllo, pistachios, butter, and simple syrup? For this colorful and chewy twist, we take that popular Middle Eastern and Mediterranean pistachio dessert and stud it with dried cranberries. Cardamom, honey, and vanilla ensure each buttery bite of the pistachio and cranberry pastry is overflowing with flavor.

Pistachio Gelato Brownie Bars

We’re suckers for a semi-homemade ice cream sandwich, and this easy pistachio dessert recipe is among our all-time favorites. Instead of cookies, the exterior is made with chocolate brownies squares that are brushed with chocolate syrup and sprinkled with chopped pistachios. The nuttiness doesn’t stop there; the filling features silky pistachio gelato to echo the flavors on the outside. These are so tasty, there’s 0 percent chance of that frozen dessert melting before we polish this off!

Pistachio Bars

At first glance, these look a lot like those brownie and gelato sandwiches we introduced earlier. But this easy pistachio pudding dessert recipe is a bit more bake sale- or potluck-friendly, since the middle layer is pudding instead of a freezer aisle fave. The crunchy base includes cocoa, graham crackers, pistachios, and vanilla for a balanced flavor base for the light pistachio pudding and the melted chocolate crown.

Pumpkin Icebox Pie with Pistachio Gingersnap Crust

If there was such a thing as a dessert dictionary, this pistachio dessert is definitely worthy of consideration for the “fall” slot. Featuring a pistachio-infused gingersnap cookie crust topped with a warmly-spiced canned pumpkin custard, it makes us forget all about the cooling temps of the season. Just prior to serving, finish each slice with a scoop of whipped cream and chopped salty pistachios.

Fresh Pear-Pistachio Cake

Continuing with the autumnal energy, pears play a major role in this pistachio dessert. They lend loads of moisture and natural sweetness to this showy Bundt cake recipe. The real kicker, though, is the easy browned butter icing. The nutty quality of that browned butter plays nicely with the pistachios.

Pistachio Biscotti

Coffee’s perfect mate! Nope, it’s not creamer (although you could certainly add that and sugar to your java, if you like)—it’s this pistachio dessert recipe. With flavors of citrus, nuts, vanilla, and white chocolate, these slice-and-bake cookies are good on their own, and even better dunked into your mug.

Honeyed Yogurt Pumpkin Pie with Pistachio-Coconut Streusel

Instead of the common custard choice of evaporated milk, we make the filling for this pumpkin pie thick and luscious with a mixture of cream cheese and Greek yogurt. Along with honey and cinnamon, all atop a buttery pastry crust, this pie is unforgettable even ungarnished. But once you add the pistachio-coconut streusel, it becomes the stuff of holiday menu legend.

Watermelon Wedges Honey Yogurt Sauce

For a lighter, ultra-fresh pistachio dessert recipe, take a similar concept as the one we just mentioned, and use it to make sweet, juicy watermelon slices even more wonderful. This healthy dessert is a mainstay on our menus come summer. It takes 15 minutes and just 7 ingredients—and zero cook time—to have this pistachio-topped treat ready to party.

Pomegranate Pavlova with Pistachios and Honey

“Amazing, and not too sweet,” according to one BHG fan, this pomegranate and pistachio dessert is the perfect elegant way to conclude a dinner party in style. The light meringue base acts as a beautiful blank canvas that allows the honey-sweetened pomegranate syrup, pomegranate seeds, and chopped pistachio nuts to shine. The red and green color scheme make this pavlova perfect for Christmas, we can’t adore it so much, we frequently find ourselves making it throughout the year.